Ignition means and method



D. F. ASBURY.

IGNITION MEANS AND METHOD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I9, I918.

1364,065. Patented Jan. 4,1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlQE.

DORSEY FROST ASBURY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IGNITION MEANS AND METHOD.

Application filed February 19, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known-that I, DORSEY F. AsBURY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in ignition Means and Methods; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to means and method for igniting the charges ofexplosive engines and has for its objects to assure ignition of a chargeregardless of an oil flooded condition of the cylinder, poor compressionor poor grade of gas; to provide the cylinder with an elongation theouter end of which constitutes the gas inlet and igniting the charge atthe inlet end of the elongation with ignited gas of a previous explosionand at the other end of the elongation with an electric spark; and toprovide the cylinder with an elongation the outer end of whichconstitutes the gas inlet and igniting the charge at the inlet end ofthe elongation with ignited gas of a previous explosion and therebyraise the compression, and then igniting the charge at the other end ofthe elongation with an electric spark; to produce the initial explosionof a plural cylinder engine electrically and then continue theexplosions by transferring ignited gas from cylinder to cylinder.

My improved means and method of ignition is applicable to all kinds ofexplosive engines irrespective of their construction or the number ofcylinders employed, but for the purpose of disclosure I will show anddescribe my invention as applied to a four cylinder four stroke cycletype, it being understood that the invention is in no way limited tothis type or number of cylindersand that it permits of wide variationwithout departing from its scope.

In the drawings chosen to illustrate my invention, the scope whereof isset forth in the claims.

The figure is a longitudinal section of a four cylinder four strokecycle explosive engine embodying my invention.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, A indicates the engine casecasted to form cylinders B, C, D and E. The case A Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented J an. at, 1921.

Serial No. 218,088.

includes a removable top casting F shaped to form explosion chamberelongations, those associated with the explosion chambers of thecylinders B and E being indicated at 10 and 13, respectively. Theseelongations lead to a common valve chamber ll included in the top F andextending vertically through the latter. Mounted in the case A is acrank shaft 15 and operatively mounted in the cylinders B, C, D and Eare the usual pistons 16, 17, 18 and 19 respectively which latter areconnected respectively with the crank shaft 15 by connecting rods 20.Rotatably mounted in the chamber 14: is a valve G provided with anexhaust port 21 and a supply port 22 both of which open through the sideof the valve. This valve during its rotation controls the supply andexhaust of gases in the manner described and claimed in my co-pendingapplication, filed J an. 1, 1918, Serial No. 210,280.

The arrangement of the elongations of the explosion chambers around thevalve chamber 14 is such that an explosion of a charge is alwaysproduced by ignited gas collected from the last explosion and suchignited gas is moved a minimum distance in order to effect its transferfrom one chamber to another. By this arrangement I secure a very quickdelivery of the ignited gas after its collection and avoid anypossibility of it cooling to an extent that would destroy itseffectiveness as an igniting medium.

The cylinders B, C, D and E have associated therewith respectively sparkplugs 36, 37, 38 and 39 of an electrical ignition system, the use ofwhich in conjunction with my system of gas ignition will produce certainadvantageous results that will hereinafter appear, but it should beunderstood that such a combined system of ignition is not necessary tothe fundamentals or my invention as complete effective ignition will behad by the use of exploded gas as an igniting medium without recourse toelectrical ignition other than for the purpose of producing the initialexplosion. However, by placing the spark plugs at the inner ends of theelongations of the explosion chambers and delaying the operation ofrespective plugs until after ignited gas has been introduced into therelated elongation I materially reduce the time of complete combustionof the charge for the reason that the charge is ignited at two pointsand the spark plug is operated after the compression has been raised bythe ignition of the charge by the gas of a previous explosion. Byshortening the time of combustion of a charge in this manner I eliminatethe necessity of advancing and retarding the spark. It will be notedthat the ignited gas is introduced into the elongations of the explosionchambers at their ends nearest the gas supply and for this reason theignited gas will always be brought into contact with the best mixtureand this condition, whether electrical ignition is or is not utilized,will assure ignition of the charges irrespective of an oil floodedcylinder poor compression or poor grade of gas.

ssuming that the operation of the engine has been institutedelectrically and the electric ignition then cut out, the cylinder D isfiring and during high compression therein the ignited gas will collectin the cavity 36 and be transferred by the movement or" the valve G tothe cylinder E where it will ignite the charge in the latter. From thisexplosion a supply of ignited gas will be collected in the cavity 36 andbe transferred by valve movement to cylinder C to explode another chargeand so on during the operation of the engine.

1. In an explosive engine having an elongated explosion chamber, meansfor igniting the charge at one end of the elongation, and means forsubsequently igniting the charge at the other end of the-elongation.

2. In an explosive engine having an elongated explosion chamber, meansfor igniting the charge at one end of the elongation by products ofcombustion of a previous explosion and at the other end by an electricspark.

3. In an explosive engine having an elongated explosion chamber, meansfor igniting the charge at one end of the elongation by the products ofcombustion of a previous explosion and thereby raising the compressionin said chamber, and an electric sparker for subsequently igniting thecharge at the other end of the elongation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

DORSEY FROST ASBURY.

Witnesses:

EDITH STOWELL, IRE-NE L. LEROI-I.

